Like an Addict
by TheMidnightSpark
Summary: Chloe Everett is a sweet, simple girl whose addicted to cigarettes, and is always finding herself in sticky situations. When she befriends Norman Bates, it seem's to be the stickiest situation she's ever been in, especially when his mother and brother get involved.
1. Panic Stricken

Chloe sat on her bed, one hand in her lap, the other holding a lit cigarette between her lips. She was breathing slowly, trying only to focus on the feeling of the nights chill on her mostly bare skin. School had been a drag, as usual. Classes went on, and throughout the day, her book bag got heavier and heavier with textbooks and homework, the taunts and stares of some of her fellow classmates stuck in her mind.

She flicked the ash off her cigarette and shoved the butt of it into her overflowing ashtray before leaning back into her pillows, laying her arms on her stomach. She was clad in only a pair of underwear and a bra, too tired to deal with putting on pajamas, much less do her homework that has been piling up for weeks. Her grades were alright, nothing spectacular, not that she particularly cared. She knew what she wanted to do after she graduated, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to do it.

Some may have thought she was stupid, going into a field that could get you killed in a moment's notice, but Chloe saw how well it paid, and she couldn't wait to get her hands on cash like that. She was becoming desperate, barely able to hold onto her tiny apartment that was on the rough side of town. She was expecting an eviction notice any day now, knowing it was only a matter of time before she found herself on the streets.

She needed a job, but with rumors all over town about her family, not many would hire her, and the places that would, were places she didn't even want to think about working for. Strip joints or prostitution weren't anything she wanted on her resume. She just wanted to guard the fields, it was one of the best paying jobs in town, and they didn't give two shits about your history as long as you did your job, and you did it well. But she couldn't even think about guarding till she was twenty, a rule enforced heavily by Gil. She had talked to him a few times about joining his crew, and every time he would shoot her down, telling her he would keep an eye out for her when she turned twenty. But she needed the money ASAP, and a place to stay. Even with the $300 dollars a day, she wouldn't be able to drag herself out of the debt she was already suffocating in.

She had turned 18 right in the beginning of the school year, and immediately left home. She couldn't stay with her cracked out, drug addicted mother or her violent, abusive father any longer, so she escaped the hellhole with the help of her estranged brother Abel. He lent her some money, and with it, she rented a room in a rundown apartment complex, happy that she was away from the mess that had been her life, even if the water was always freezing and the sink constantly ran. It was a temporary home, one that she'd be out of as soon as she got some money. Or sooner, considering her money was running out, and she was behind on at least 2 month's worth of rent.

Chloe's thought's spilled into her mind as if a dam had just broken, and anxiety filled her to the very core. She felt cold, so cold, so she finally pulled on some leggings and a long sleeved gray shirt, and slammed her window closed. She paced around the room, trying to calm her racing mind. She lit another cigarette and breathed in the nicotine, feeling its calming effects in _three, two, one_. She took a deep breathe, and she felt the anxiety slowly fade away, back into the pit of her stomach, as if it hadn't happened. She _needed_ to get out of the cramped little room and do something as soon as possible. The night kept her awake, her insecurities clawing away at her mind. She was absolutely exhausted, but she _needed_ to do _something_. Sleep was _not_ an option.

* * *

She was jogging. Not anywhere, just around. The town looked even more eerie at night, and it always gave her something new to find. She had been doing this since she was a kid, either after a screaming match with her mother, or getting a punch, kick, or slap from her father. It was her go to resource when something happened, and it worked. She had turned onto the long stretch of road where The Seafairer Motel sat. The grimy drunkard who had owned the place had been kicked out a while ago when the bank took it from him.

It made Chloe smile a bit, remembering the time she had tried to rent a room, and he quickly denied her unless she would do certain _favors_ for him. She had left the place in a huff, wanting to go back in a slap him as hard as she could to get that stupid smirk off his face. She knew better though, and didn't want her name trashed any more than it was so she left it to Karma. And Karma had struck that piece of shit hard, and Chloe knew she won out in the end.

Her thoughts and legs came to a stop when she came upon the old house, seeing lights on, and a boy grabbing stuff out of his car. Chloe bounced on the balls of her feet, not sure if she should go and say hello. He was new, not from around here. He didn't know about her messed up family. He couldn't judge her too harshly, _hopefully._

"Hello." She gave a slight wave to the boy when he turned, and she was impressed with what she saw. He looked about 17, 16 at the youngest, and with dark hair, big blue eyes, and a sweet smile, Chloe knew he'd be a hit at school, if he played his cards right.

"Oh, hi, hello." He stuttered, giving the girl in front of him a once over. She was short, thin, and had an hourglass shape to her. Norman's eyes scanned her over once more, and noticed her doe like green eyes and wavy, shoulder length blonde hair. He barely noticed her somewhat sweaty appearance.

Chloe was starting to feel uncomfortable, the boy had looked her over a few times, and she didn't want to say anything. She was worried she looked hideous from the jogging, and the boy continued staring had her even more self-conscious.

"I'm Chloe Everett, what's your name?" She spoke up, looking up at the house as she spoke, and back to the boy as he answered.

"Norman Bates. Do you, uh, live around here?" He was nervous. Chloe could tell, and she understood. She gave him a small, cautious smile. She liked his shyness, you didn't get that much around this town.

"I live about 2 miles that way." She pointed back the direction she came from, not getting too specific. "So your family bought this old place? I bet you have your hands full." She looked at the big box that he was holding in his hands. "Literally." She flashed him a pearly smile, one that Norman instantly wanted to see again.

"Yeah, one of my mother's decisions. Hopefully it'll turn out." Norman muttered under his breath, and Chloe gave him a pat on the forearm.

"I'm sure it will, Norman. Maybe it'll even be fun!" Chloe spoke with false enthusiasm. Norman chuckled and relaxed a bit, setting the box on the ground.

"Maybe, maybe." Norman agreed, and Chloe chuckled, shaking her head to get the hair out of her eyes.

"So, will you be going to White Pine High? That's where I go." Chloe was curious about the boy, and was actually kind of looking forward to getting to know him. She talked to a lot of people around school, and was pretty friendly with most of them, but she wouldn't consider most of them friends. She decided it would be nice to have an actual friend.

"Yeah, I start tomorrow actually. Maybe we will have a few classes together." Norman had hope in his voice, and in his mind. He wanted to get closer to Chloe, get to know her, she seemed like a good friend.

"Hm, well, I'm sure we will see each other around school, even if we don't. It was nice meeting you Norman, but I should probably get home. See you tomorrow?" Chloe wanted to get back and shower before going to bed, and it would be a 30 minute jog back home.

"Yeah, maybe you could help show me around?" Norman asked hopefully, but also stalling, he didn't want her to go yet, and he was happy he already knew somebody before he went into the school year.

"You know what, Norman? Sure." She flashed him another pearly smile, and he felt happiness surge through himself.

"Where will we meet? The office, or-" Chloe cut him off, grabbing a pen from the box that was back in his hands, and quickly scribbled her number onto the backside of his hand.

"Text me when you get there, and I'll meet you out front. Sound good?" Norman nodded, set the box down again, and took out his phone to put her number in.

"Can I take your picture?" Chloe gave him a look, not really understanding what he needed a photo of her for. "For the contact photo?" He explained quickly, and she smiled at him and nodded. She flashed her pearly smile once again that night, and Norman was happy he could look at it whenever he wanted now.

She fished her phone out of her pocket, and handed it to Norman so he could put his contact in, and laughed as he took a selfie.

"Alright Norman, I'll talk to you later." She gave him a wave, and took off in a sprint back to her house, leaving Norman there to stare after her, his mind going over the conversation over and over again as he smiled to himself.

* * *

Back at her apartment, her throat tightened when she saw the pink slip attached to her door. **Eviction Notice**, the big block letters spelt out, and Chloe brought her hands up to wipe the tears that were already trying to form in her eyes. This _couldn't_ be happening. Not now, not when she had absolutely nowhere to go. She tore the paper off in rage, and stormed to the manager's office, the sign read closed, but she knew Ronnie was just hiding in the back office watching TV. She started banging on the bell, and it went on so long, her head started to ache. She was about to give up when the door handle moved, and Ronnie stuck his head out.

"_Well, well, well_. Look what the cat dragged in, find your note sweetheart?" Ronnie gave the pretty young blonde a slimy smile, and her lips curled in disgust as she held the pink slip up slightly.

"What the hell, Ronnie?! You said I still had two weeks before you would give me a notice, like three days ago!" The panic in her voice made Ronnie smile. He knew now how truly desperate she was.

"I have someone who will actually pay for the room." Ronnie shrugged easily. 'You have three days to get your shit out of that room, _or_ you can find a _different_ method of paying." Ronnie didn't need the money, and getting a girl as beautiful as Chloe to pay him off with sex was worth the crummy room.

Chloe's eyes started to well with tears, the situation with Keith Summers running through her mind yet again that night. _She was not a whore_. She wouldn't sleep with some dirt bag just for a place to sleep.

"I'll be out in three days." She growled, slamming the notice down. She turned and left at that, and Ronnie stared after her, feeling himself getting angry.

She started throwing things into boxes, not caring if they broke or not. Her blood was absolutely boiling. Before long, her body gave way to the exhaustion, and she crawled in to bed, crying softly into her pillow. She already had tomorrow planned in her head, and it was exactly what she needed, a day to herself. She'd go to school, show Norman around, then fake sick and go home. Simple enough, it would give her the time to pack, and to figure out where she would move to next.

* * *

**Hello! I'm testing my hand at a Bates Motel fanfiction, though I've only watched first season so far. I'd really appreciate a review here or there to let me know how I'm doing, and I plan on updating at least once a week, if not more. Thanks for reading, and until next time:)**


	2. Moving on Out

Chloe woke up to her screeching alarm and quickly hit the snooze button before tucking herself back into her warm blanket cocoon. Only minutes later, her phone went off with its similar screeching alarm. She groaned as she rolled over and out of her warm bed, shutting both alarms off as she made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. As usual, the water was like ice, and her body tensed when she first got in, but eventually it relaxed as it got used to the chill.

When she was clean she wrapped herself in a large towel, attempting to warm herself completely. She was still shivering even when she was fully dry, but dropped the towel from her body as she pulled on her underwear and hooked her bra. She applied minor makeup to her face and styled her long blonde hair into a braid on the side of her head as she looked on at herself in the mirror, and when a few hairs came astray, she tucked them behind her ear.

Happy with her hair and makeup, she tugged on a pair of dark capris that ended just above her knees, pulled a flowery tank top on over her head, and shrugged her arms through a black cardigan. She grabbed an apple for the road and slipped on a pair of black flats as she rushed out the door, barely remembering to grab her book bag. She made sure to lock the door tightly behind her before she shoved her blasting ear buds into her ears, lit a cigarette, and left the apartment complex.

* * *

She made her way to her locker as soon as she had gotten inside the school, and began packing books up for her first few classes. She had checked her phone multiple times already, and Norman hadn't texted her once. She felt a little upset, thinking he had probably forgot about her. As much as she didn't want to seem desperate by texting him first, she also wanted to be sure he had gotten to school. After a minute or so of fighting down her pride, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and sighed.

"_Did you make it to school alright?"_ She tapped the send button, and tucked the phone back into her pocket quickly before walking to her first class of the day.

She sat down at her desk, and starting diligently tapping her fingers to a random beat. After her math teacher had finally given her enough glares within a span of 10 minutes to make her stop, to pass even more time before class ended, she started doodling on the corner of her note sheet.

She had just finished a doodle of an elephant on a motorcycle when her phone buzzed with a text. She set her pen down and glanced at her teacher as she pulled the device out of her pocket as discreetly as she could.

"_Oh god, Chloe, I totally forgot about this morning. Can we meet up for lunch?"_ Norman. Upon hearing that he forgot, Chloe felt her stomach tighten in sadness, but came to the understanding that he probably had a ton on his plate from the move. She was antsy for lunch, excited to see Norman's face again.

"_Totally fine, see you then!"_ With the message sent, Chloe started to tuck her phone away when she heard a loud, gruff sigh. She looked up and saw her teacher was red in the face as he stared at her with a miffed expression.

"Ms. Everett. You simply cannot help but be a distraction today. Hallway for the rest of class." Her teacher went back to writing his notes, and some of her classmates snickered. Chloe could only shrug, not being bothered much, considering there was only 10 minutes left of class.

* * *

She had found Norman within five minutes after she had gotten her lunch. She saw him sitting alone, looking over a worksheet. She smiled to herself as she walked over and plopped her tray down in front of him, startling him. Norman looked on at Chloe as she sat down, his eyes wide. She gave him a smile before she bit into her glossy red apple.

"Hey." He spoke, looking back at his worksheet before stuffing it into his book bag. "I'm sorry about this morning this-" Chloe cut him off as she swallowed.

"No, no, no. It's fine." She flashed him a reassuring smile, and Norman felt relief wash over him, happy knowing she wasn't mad at him. "So how's life been since last night?" She chuckled.

"Math isn't that great. I liked history." Norman spoke, peeling his orange slowly, precisely. Chloe took a bite of her leafy salad and nodded.

"History's always been a favorite of mine. My math grade continues to suffer year after year." Norman offered her a slice of his orange, and smiled internally when she took it and popped it into her mouth, thanking him with a smile.

"Language art's is my favorite subject, I think. Is the teacher here nice?" Norman was somewhat nervous about his new teacher. His last language arts teacher was an old hag who loved to torment her students.

"You're in luck." Chloe gave him a smirk when he raised his eyebrows. "Miss Watsons one of the sweetest teachers ever. Not too much course work, and she always tries to make things easy, in my time with her anyway. As long as you act alright in her class. You're not a trouble maker, are you Mister Bates?" Chloe gave him a wink, and took another bite of her salad. Norman's eyes widened, and his heart almost skipped a beat.

"O- Of course not." His pale cheeks flushed and he looked back at his food. Chloe chuckled, setting her fork down. She stole a piece of his orange and popped it into her mouth, swallowing it within a few seconds.

"Well, I am." Chloe whispered to him, picking up her tray. She gave him an amused smile as she walked toward the trash bins, and he just stared after her, his cheeks still flushed.

* * *

"Hey Chlo." Bradley spoke slowly, setting her tray down on the table that sat beside the trash bins.

"Hey Brad, long time no see." Chloe gave a soft smile to her friend, a smile that was completely ignored.

"Isn't he just adorable?" She sighed. Chloe followed Bradley's stare, seeing it led to Norman.

"Who, Norman?" Bradley nodded looking back to Chloe. "Yeah, Norman's a sweetheart. He's pretty smart too. He's definitely going to be knocking some girls off their feet around here." Chloe chuckled, setting her tray on the table.

"What about you? Has Norman Bates got you swooning, Chloe?" Bradley joked, and Chloe gave her a 'seriously?' look. Both of the girls started giggling as they looked back at Norman once more.

"C'mon B, you know I'm practically unswoonable. Plus Norman's just a smidge too innocent for my taste." Chloe shrugged. "I'm gonna get back to him before lunch ends, help him to his next class. I'll text you later." Bradley gave her a small, understanding smile that Chloe returned before she started to walk back to her and Norman's table.

"Hey, Chloe, wait!" Bradley jogged to keep up with her. "Are you going to Dane's party tomorrow night? It's supposed to be awesome." Bradley was excited for the party, and couldn't wait for it. Chloe had heard about it, but was too focused on her housing situation to worry about it.

"Mm, I dunno B." Chloe looked back at Norman, who was now watching her. Her eyebrows furrowed, and he looked away.

"Free beer, cheap weed, and hot guys." Bradley continued, trying to convince her friend to come. Chloe was prepared to turn her down, but Bradley put on her puppy dog eyes. "You know you want to." Bradley pressed on, and Chloe sighed, giving her a tired smile.

"Alright, alright. I'll try and stop by. Dane's house, right?" Bradley nodded. "See you then." The girls both walked their separate ways, and Norman waited for Chloe by the exit, carrying her books for her. She beamed at him as they left the cafeteria.

* * *

It turned out that they actually had the same language arts class together, which each of the teens was excited about. Norman even sat right behind her, and they spent the entire class passing a doodle filled note back and forth. It was completely filled by the time class ended, and Chloe could barely keep the laughter inside looking at the random sketches, though she did feel sort of bad, knowing she was distracting Norman from school. At the same time, it felt nice to have someone to laugh and talk with during class.

When the bell rang, Chloe and Norman were quick to pack up their things, but ended up delayed when Miss Watson called out for Norman.

"Norman, can I see you after class?" Norman shuffled back and forth on each foot, looking uncomfortable and Chloe gave him what she hoped was a reassuring touch on the shoulder. "Ms. Everett, please don't start distracting your fellow students. I'd hate to have to send you to the office."

Miss Watson gave Chloe a heavy stare as she picked up Normans file. Chloe returned the stare with a restrained glare, and Norman stayed put awkwardly, though he wanted to follow after Chloe as she walked out the door. He tapped his foot impatiently

"Sure thing . I'll text you later Norman!" Chloe called exiting the room, tucking her hands in her pockets. She didn't even spare a glance back as she walked out the door smirking to herself.

The school day was finally over, and she could finally go home and relax. Except she couldn't, and the thought stopped her dead in her tracks. She still had to pack her stuff up, only having two days left till she was officially homeless. Chloe sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

She slowly walked to her locker without purpose. She didn't want to hurry home anymore, knowing her afternoon and evening would just be filled with packing. She tossed her books inside the locker harshly, along with her bag. She wasn't coming back tomorrow and that was for sure. She probably should have gone home today to finish packing, but seeing and talking with Norman had put her in a better mood. He made her forget about her troubles with the apartment she was being kicked out of. But now it was back to reality, and she knew she couldn't put off packing any longer.

* * *

Once back at the complex, she shook herself off well, and shrugged her cardigan off before entering the lobby. It was raining so often as of late, and her jacket was absolutely soaking. From the moment she entered, Ronnie was leering at her, his mouth almost watering when he saw the wet fabric of her shirt cling to her body. Chloe made a noise of disgust.

"Pig." She muttered under her breath, glaring at the man as she walked past. Ronnie frowned, hearing her.

"Got something to say, sweet cheeks? Remember I can kick your assout of that room at any moment." He shouted after her as she unlocked her door. She sighed, regretting not holding her tongue. She needed as long as she could in this place, sadly.

* * *

As soon as she got inside, she slammed the door and yanked her suitcase out of the bottom of the closet and started packing her clothes. After folding about 6 shirts, 4 skirts, 5 pairs of jeans, she started just throwing clothes in the suitcase. She ended up having to sit on it to get it zipped, but it was worth it to not have to fold every item of clothing she owned. She moved onto tearing down her posters and pictures when she was finished packing her clothes.

She ended up stopping to gaze at the memories, whether it be friends, her brother, bands or even herself, she smiled at each and every photo. It was around 11 when she finally had everything packed. Well, mostly everything, she had left out an outfit for the next day, and some granola bars to snack on. Everything else was either packed or thrown out without a second thought.

She was snacking on a granola bar when the clock read 11:30, looking around her now bare apartment, and thinking about what to do next. The next day would be solely dedicated to finding a new place to live. She figured that was a little bit more important than school. And so was sleep, at this point. She was yet again exhausted, and couldn't wait to sleep in the next morning. After making sure her alarms were off, she got into a pair of boy shorts and a tank top. She plopped into bed and snuggled into her covers, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

When Chloe woke, the sun was glaring in through her windows, and she felt well rested for the first time in what felt like forever. She stretched as she got out of the bed, and groaned as her bare feet hit the cold, hard ground. She followed her normal morning routine, and was soon enough dressed in pair of dark skinny jeans, with a dressy black and white striped shirt. She pulled on her black flats, grabbed her purse, and left the apartment full of hope.

She hit the bagel store down the street first, grabbing a strawberry bagel with cream cheese, and purchasing a newspaper. She wanted to look for any help wanted before just wandering up to random places and asking if they were hiring. After seeing nothing but crummy jobs with low pay, and no available places to rent, she groaned in disbelief. She grabbed her purse and got up determination shining in her green eyes. She lit herself a cigarette, took a long drag, and started walking.

She had stopped in 5 different places, each person giving her a fake sympathetic smile, claiming they didn't need any more workers. Chloe knew it was bullshit, because one of the places had a recently put up 'help wanted sign' in the window. She didn't know what to do anymore, didn't know where to apply.

It was around lunch time when she felt her heart sink, and her anxiety start to set in. The panic had been permanent these past few weeks, but now it felt like she was suffocating. It was too much for her to handle, so she decided to just head home and spend her last day of having the stupid apartment in the dark. She was walking past the motel Normans family had just bought with quickened steps, wanting to get home as fast as possible. She was a little past the bus stop when her phone buzzed with a text.

"_Hey, Chloe, I you weren't here today, at school. Would you like me to bring you your homework? I could stop by your place?"_ The text was from Norman, and it made her smile brightly. He was such a sweetheart.

"_No, that's fine, I'll pick it up tomorrow. Thanks though!"_ She hit reply and glanced up at the motel when an idea hit her.

* * *

The motel was now under new management, she realized. She could try and apply for a job for the Bates family, and possibly be able to work for her room & board. At this point she was desperate enough to ask right then and there.

After climbing the numerous stairs, her heart clenching with each step, Chloe was at the top, knocking on the front door. She prayed that she still looked alright after her all day walk around town, and that Norman's family was as nice as him. The door opened, revealing a middle aged, but beautiful blond woman.

"Hi there, I'm Norma Bates, how can I help you?" Norma smiled politely but silently eyed the girl in front of her cautiously, taking in her appearance. She was young, small girl, probably no older than seventeen or eighteen, blond, and pretty. The girl reminded Norma of herself at that age.

"Hi, my name's Chloe Everett, I'm a friend of Norman's." Chloe trailed off, and Norma stared at her with a blank expression. "I was wondering if you need any help with the motel? Cleaning or something?" Chloe looked at the woman shyly, stuttering through the sentence. If anyone's gaze could break someone confidence, it would be Norma's.

"Oh, I don't know. We don't really have the money to hire somebody at this time. Have you-" Norma cut herself off as she saw the girls, Chloe's, eyes start to fill with tears. "Oh honey, what's wrong? I'm sure there is plenty of work out there, better than cleaning an old motel, for a young girl like you." Chloe shook her head, rubbing her eyes, willing the tears away. She felt her heart break, knowing her last shot was in fact, shot. She'd be homeless this time tomorrow.

"No, there isn't. God, this is so embarrassing." Chloe groaned "I'm so sorry." She sniffed, wiping her eyes again.

"It's alright, it's alright." Norma hushed the girl. "Come inside and tell me what the problem is. We'll figure something out." Norma felt her motherly instinct coming out, feeling bad for the young emotional girl that stood on her doorstep. Chloe nodded, and Norma led her into the large living room.

"I'm being kicked out of my apartment tomorrow." Chloe explained slowly, and Norma was shocked that she had an apartment in the first place.

"But you're so young, how do you have one to begin with?" Asked the ever-curious Norma.

"I left home right away when I turned eighteen. My parents weren't the kindest souls in the world. My brother Abel helped me out by giving me the cash. But cash runs out, and I'm behind on rent and the landlord is an asshole." Chloe quickly covered her mouth, but Norma just encouraged her to keep talking. "He said I had to pay him, or have sex with him to keep my apartment, and nobody in town will hire me because of my parent reputation, so I can't get any money. I came here because I thought maybe you'd hire me, and if you did hire me, I was going to ask if my pay could maybe just be letting me stay in one of the motel rooms." Chloe trailed off, shielding her face from Norma's view. She didn't want the older woman to see anymore of her tears.

Norma had listened to Chloe's story, keeping an open mind. The story reminded her somewhat of her own background, and it was for that fact that Norma made up her mind.

"Tell you what, I'll let you stay in the spare room in the house. You help clean the house and motel up, and when we open, you housekeep. You'll get the spare room, and 5 dollars per room you clean so you can have some money of your own. How does that sound?" Norma realized it would be different having this girl around, and she had no clue how Norman would react, but she knew they could all make it work.

"Are yo- are you serious? Oh my god, Mrs. Bates, thank you, thank you so, so much!" Happy tears spilled over, and she threw her thin arms around Norma. Norma stiffened, but relaxed over a few seconds and returned the hug timidly.

"Please, call me Norma." Chloe beamed at Norma, her whole body buzzing in delight. "Now, do you need help bringing your stuff over? I can help you with the car." Chloe just stared at the woman who was now a saint in her eyes, nodding slowly. "Let's get this show on the road than!" Norma clapped her hands together and stood up, holding a hand out to help Chloe up. Chloe smiled as she accepted Norma's hand, and they left the house, Chloe rambling on about random topics. It made Norma smile.

* * *

Stopping for lunch before they got to Chloe's apartment, they got to know each other a bit more. Chloe quickly picked up that Norma was pretty guarded, and that she absolutely adored Norman, he was the apple of her eye.

Norma was quick to evaluate that the girl in front of her was a little bit more reserved and confidant than she was at the house, but was still polite. Chloe was sure she had made a good impression on Mrs. Bates, and hoped the impression would last. They ended up playing a sort of twenty questions, most of which questions were asked by Norma, seeing as Chloe felt she knew enough about Norma. Chloe understood from Norma's perspective, and answered all questions almost honestly, wanting to gain Norma's trust.

"Anything wrong with you medically?"

"No." Chloe lied, not wanting to dwell on that area. Norma gave her a look and Chloe only shrugged, picking at her food.

"Do you keep your grades up?"

"For the most part." Was getting C's considered keeping your grades up? Chloe supposed so.

"Do you do any drugs?" Norma stressed on this question.

"Smoke cigarettes." She left out the part that she occasionally smokes weed, Norma looked upset enough about the cigarettes.

"Do you drink?"

"Not often enough." That made Norma laugh.

"You seem like a good kid, Chloe. It'll be nice to have you around." Norma gave Chloe a pat on the shoulder, and Chloe gave her an appreciative smile. "I do have a few rules though." Chloe nodded in understanding. "No smoking inside the house, no coming home at all hours of the night, nobody coming over without permission, and door stays open if you are in Norman's room or he is in yours." Chloe agreed without hesitation, the rules seemed easy enough to abide by. After a few more minutes of chatter, they continued their meal in silence.

* * *

At her apartment building, Chloe hopped out of the car, telling Mrs. Bates to keep the car running. She didn't want Norma to see the dump of a place she lived in.

"I'll be in and out in a snap." She had called to Norma as she ran into the building.

"Back so soon sweet cheeks? How'd those dumpsters look? Cozy?" Ronnie chortled to himself when he saw Chloe walk in. She scowled at him.

"I'm leaving, asshole. I've found myself a better place to stay than in this rotten piece of shit apartment." Ronnie blanched, having not expected her to actually find a place.

"Watch who you're talking to, girl." Ronnie growled, following her down the hall to where her room was located. Her stuff was sitting in a neat pile by the door, ready to be wheeled out. She grabbed the handle of the suitcase and started wheeling toward the door that Ronnie was now blocking.

"Get outta my way, Ronnie. I'm just grabbing my shit and leaving." Chloe huffed, trying to shove past the repulsive man. He flashed her a grim smile that showed off his yellow teeth.

"How'd you manage to find anything, Chloe? They'll kick you out as soon as you miss your first rent payment, and then you'll come crawling back to me." Ronnie growled, backing her further into the apartment. Chloe felt her blood turn to ice when she saw the leering expression on his face, but stood her ground.

"Get outta my way, Ronnie. Don't try to do anything you'll regret." Chloe was feeling the panic start to set in as he stepped closer, looking more and more deranged with each step. She tightened her hold on her luggage.

"Even if you don't come back, you still owe me for 2 months of rent, Chloe. You wouldn't want lawyers involved, would you?" Ronnie wanted to have sex with Chloe. It was as simple as that. Chloe's blood started to boil, the piece of shit threatening her with lawyers, and on top of that, he had been staring at her boobs the whole time that they had been talking.

"I'd rather get sued for money I don't have than have your disgusting hands on me." Chloe crossed one of her tanned arms across her chest, blocking the pervs view. He looked into her eyes giving her a hard stare, and she just glared back at him. "I left the keys on the counter. Goodbye Ronald." She murmured, ramming her shoulder into his as she passed him. She was getting a new start, and she wasn't taking shit from anyone, especially not someone like Ronnie.

Ronnie stared after her, mouth open in shock, face full of fury.

* * *

_**Well, that's chapter two! I guess it was kind of boring, but Chloe now has a job and a place to stay! I really appreciate all the follows, favorites, and reviews I got for the first chapter, like really, thank you guys! Would really appreciate if you kept them coming! Until next time!**_


	3. Stumble on By

She hauled her over packed suitcase into the back of Norma's car, the smile on her face radiant. She hadn't looked back once, even as Ronnie shouted obscenities after her. Her mind was too focused on the future, which looked way brighter than it had when she stayed at that crappy apartment. She was going to have a proper roof over her head, a meal in her stomach every night, and a normal family that didn't fight every single night. At least thats what she gathered from what Norma had told her.

It was 3 in the afternoon when they pulled up to the motel, and Chloe knew that Norman would be home by now. He had been a thought, lingering in her mind since lunch, and she wondered how he would take the news of his new housemate. She _hoped _he would be understanding, but she knew that was an awful lot to ask, especially with just moving into a new house.

'Do you need some help bring your things up? I can get Norman to help." Norma offered, shutting her door. Chloe glanced up to the house as she got out of the vehicle, shaking her head.

"No, that's fine. I don't want to disrupt him anymore than I already am." Norma gave Chloe a questioning glance.

"Norman won't mind, I'm sure of it." Norma tried, and Chloe smiled at that.

"Nah, it's fine I swear. He's probably doing something anyway." Chloe waved it off and grabbed her stuff out of the trunk. Norma grabbed a box, and Chloe wheeled her suitcase. Two more boxes sat at the bottom of the stairs, and Chloe plopped them on top of her suitcase.

"See? I got it." Chloe beamed and Norma smiled back politely as she unlocked the large door.

"Norman, I'm home." Norma called into the house, and a slight shuffling could be heard upstairs. Chloe's stomach tightened with nerves, and she watched the staircase, waiting for Norman to appear.

"Hello mother." Norman spoke, coming into view, his eyes widening when he spotted Chloe beside Norma, boxes piled high. "Chloe, I don't your work, I'm-" Chloe cut him off.

"That's not exactly why I'm here Norman." She thought of what to say, before just breaking it to him. "I'm moving in and helping you guys out with the motel." She stuttered through the explanation, gauging his reaction. He bite at his lip for a second before giving her a full blown smile.

"Alright, cool, that's great. Do you need help with your boxes?" Chloe stared at him in disbelief.

"You're fine with it? Just like that?" She asked, eyes wide. Norman stared at her, amusement playing in his eyes.

"Well, yeah. I don't see why you couldn't stay here, seeing as you're gonna help with the motel. What room is hers, mother?" Norman asked, taking the box from his mother.

"The first one across the hall and down. I'm going to make dinner. Chloe, please explain to Norman the rule about the doors." With that, Norma turned toward the kitchen and left the teens alone.

"I'll show you to your room, c'mon." He dragged her suitcase behind him, leaving her with a medium sized box to carry.

"I can get that Norman, it's fine." She attempted to grab for the case but he jerked it away before she could touch it.

"It's fine Chloe. I have it." She let it drop and they trekked up the stairs silently. "This," Norman paused as he shoved the old door open. "Is your room." The teens walked inside and Chloe looked around in amazement. The room was larger than any she'd ever had. Her apartment was only slightly bigger. She turned around a few times, gaping at the room.

"Do you like it?" Norman asked timidly, gauging her reaction. She turned to him and threw her arms around his neck, attacking him with a hug.

"I love it! Oh my god, Norman! This is great!" She let go of him and went to plop on the bed. Norman was standing where she left him, stunned. Chloe sighed, resting her hands on her stomach. "Door's have to be open when we are in each others rooms. That was the rule your mom was talking about."

"O-okay." Norman stuttered, still thinking about the hug he had just received from the pretty girl. "I'm gonna let you be, I have some homework…" He trailed off, and Chloe sat up in a flash.

"Oh, that's fine! I'm just gonna unpack, maybe catch up on some homework. See you at dinner." He nodded at her, gave her a barely there smile, and left. She got off the bed and shut the door behind him. She let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding in, and leaned against the door.

* * *

After putting up most of her pictures and posters, setting up some of her knick knacks and books, and shoving her clothes away, she was tired. Norma had called her down for an early dinner, it was a casserole type thing that was absolutely delicious. She gave Chloe a short list of things to do around the house, and she got to it right away.

* * *

"Favorite color?" Chloe called to Norman from the window she was cleaning. Norman thought for a moment before calling back.

"Blue. Favorite band?" He hit the large rug with his broom once again. Chloe didn't even hesitate as she called back.

" The Beatles, for sure. Favorite season?" The filthy window was finally clean and Chloe stood back to admire her work. One down, twenty more to go.

"Uh, fall, maybe? Or may-" He was interrupted by a loud, gruff voice.

"Norman Bates?" Keith Summers. Chloe could tell it was that asshole just by the voice. She walked around front quickly, watching Keith stumble up the stairs. "Well, lookie here. Chloe 'Prude' Everett. Whatcha doin in my house Chloe? Thought we had an _agreement_." Chloes small nose wrinkled in disgust.

" It isn't yours anymore, Keith. I live here with the Bates' now. They were kind enough to let me stay and help out without me needing to suck their dicks in return." Chloe spat at the foul man and he just chuckled, turning his attention back to the confused Norman.

"Just moved a few nights ago, huh? How d'ya like it?" Keith asked, playing somewhat nice.

" Uh, fine so far, who ar-" Norman was cut off yet again.

"Live here with your mom?" Chloe shifted feet as she watched Keith cautiously. She grabbed Norman's bicep to lead him away, but Norman resisted.

"Yeah, do you know her?" Norman was curious. The man in front of him gave him an odd vibe, but passed it off as nothing. Chloe tried again to pull him away, and Norman shrugged her off.

"Norman, c'mon. Don't acknowledge him." Chloe whispered much to low for Keith to hear, but he saw her lips move.

" Chloe, don't you think there is something more important for you to do in maybe, the kitchen?" Keith mocked her and Chloe huffed. Norman felt irritation seep into his mind. "I know about yer mom, kid. I know about you too. You're 17, you're from Arizona, and yer father just died a few months back." Chloe hadn't known that part, and felt sadness in her core. Poor Norman.

"I think you need to watch what you saw to my friend. I'll get my mom." Norman shuffled to the door.

"Let's just go inside, Norman. Just ignore him, and he'll go away." Chloe urged. Norman continued standing his ground, but turned to call for Norma.

"What I say to that little skank is none of yer concern, boy. I've known her and her family a hell of a lot longer than you have." Keith sneered and Norman's blood started to boil.

"She is not a skank." He hissed, starting to walk down the stairs, his hands balled into fists. Keith just chuckled, his face having the mark of a permanent asshole like grin.

"And whattda ya know about running a motel? Cause you look like a little boy ta me!" Keith shouted.

"Can I help you with something?" Norma asked, walking onto the porch. She tucked her rag into her apron and starred the ugly man down. Keith just squinted his eyes as he stared at the Norma, not moving in the slightest.

"Think it's you that needs help." Keith spoke simply, and Norma walked forward, closer to the teens.

"Oh really, and how might that be?" Chloe admired Ms. Bates badassness.

"I'm Keith Summers." He paused, waiting for their reactions. When they gave no response and just stared blankly at him, he felt his face flush with anger. "Summers." He spoke louder, almost shouting at them. "This is my family's property. My great- great-" He was cut off.

"Jesus christ, Keith. Go to your sisters and sleep this shit off. This property _was_ your families. Key word; was. You lost it due to your inexplicable drinking habits, and have nobody to blame but yourself. Norma can handle this motel just fine, and doesn't need the drama you're bound to bring." Keith glared at the young girl, sizing her up, and Chloe shrunk away slightly, her confidence waning. Norma threw her an appreciative smile before stepping down a few steps.

"I'm sure it was really hard for you to lose the property, and I'm sorry. But it's ours, like Chloe said." Keith stepped forward and Norma stood her ground.

"I know everything about this place, this town. You know nuthin about this town. What makes you think you can run this place by yerself?" Keith slurred. Norma walked right in front of Keith, and the teens stared on in disgust at the man.

"Because I can. Now get the hell off our property before we call the police. If i catch you here again, I'll shoot you myself." Norma spoke, walking back up the stairs. Norman looked away in discomfort, and Chloe watched the scene with eyes of a hawk.

"You'll call the police? I'm friends with half of them, we even go fishing. So go ahead and call the police! This is my house!" Keith shouted stumbling away as Norma waved the kids inside. "Go ahead and call them!"

"Get the hell outta here, Keith. I know officer Shelby wouldn't mind throwing your ass in jail!" Chloe shout at the man, and he in turn flipped her off as he tripped over a root.

Norman took a stance right beside Chloe as the watch Keith stumble his way back to his truck.

"Do you think you should've said all those things to him?" Norman asked, glancing between the women. Norma's face scrunched up in annoyance as she waved the question off.

"He's just some pathetic, drunk loser slob, honey. He's just, he's not gonna bother us anymore." Norma spoke as reassuringly as she could to Norman, and looked to Chloe with some pleading eyes that Chloe quickly caught onto.

"Don't worry, Norman. Keith's always been all talk. He never follows through with anything unless it has to do with food or beer." Chloe gave Norman a soft smile and Norma led them both back into the house. Norman turned to see Keith drive away.

* * *

Norman sat on the couch, finishing some homework, Chloe sat on the large chair closest to the record player, reading a book with her feet tucked under her, and Norma was on the phone, arguing with some incompetent roofers.

Chloe was content with just listening to the record, and blocked Norma out. When she looked up from her book, she watched as Norma left the room. She set her book down and followed curiously, leaving Norman alone.

"Hi, are you Mrs. Bates?" That peppy, but slow voice could only belong to one person. Bradley.

"I am." Norma answered slowly, watching the girl with a guarded stare.

"I'm Bradley Martin, we're Norman's friends, from school. We're going to the library, and we're wondering if he'd like to come study with us." Bullshit. Chloe knew that Bradley was just trying to get Norman to go to the party with them. Chloe felt Norman step past her and into the view of Bradley and her friends. Chloe stood away in the shadows.

"Hey." Norman spoke breathily. Chloe felt her stomach tighten in uneasiness.

"Hey, Norman." Bradley gave her glossy smile, one that Norman couldn't help but return. Chloe wanted to just go to her room and bury her face into her feathery pillow. Jealousy was creeping into her body, she could tell. That made her even more uneasy. She couldn't like Norman, could she?

"I'm sure he would love to go. But we're in the middle of a lot of stuff. We still got a lot of unpacking to do…" Norma trailed off, looking as if she just wanted to go back inside and get stuff down.

"That's totally fine. I totally get it." Bradley held her hand's up in surrender.

"Well. maybe I could-" Norman was cut off by his mother.

"Not tonight, Norman, not tonight. Tonight's not a good idea. Maybe another time." Norman stared at his mother in disbelief that she would do this to him.

"No worries, it was nice meeting you, Mrs. Bates." Bradley said, trying to leave a good impression.

"It was nice to meet you too, thanks for stopping by." Norma spoke sweetly as she shut the door softly.

"How could you do that? Not even let me answer?" Norman said, his voice steely.

"Well, there's no point in answering. You would say yes, and I would have to tell you no." Norma spoke, heading to the kitchen.

"I could of gone mom." Norma just shrugged. It was at this point Chloe decided to just head up to her room, not wanting to invade on anything.

* * *

She had her window open, cigarette between her lips, and phone in hand. Slightly shivering in her tanktop and boy shorts, he was sitting in the window sill, as to not get so much smoke in the room. She had texted Bradley that she ended up to busy for the party, and Bradley texted back her understanding.

"_I'll still grab you some weed;)_" That made Chloe smile a bit.

She heard stomping up the stairs only minutes later, and Norma yelling.

"If you're gonna act like that, you can just stay in your room the rest of the night!" The stomping ended with a slam of a door, and Chloe quickly put her cigarette out. She grabbed the book she had been reading and continued reading it until her door swung open.

"I'm gonna go meet up with Bradley." He stated, staring around the room, looking at all the new items. "I like your room."

Chloe gave him a fake smile before going back to her book.

"Thanks, have fun with Bradley." She spoke in a voice that held no passion. He gave her an odd look before taking a big breath.

Will you cover for me? I mean, if my mother asks?" Chloe only nodded, showing now expression, and Normans face lit up. He walked forward and threw his arms around her bare shoulder, giving her goosebumps. "Thanks Chloe! I dunno when I'll be back, but, yeah." He finished awkwardly, and Chloe just nodded.

"Stay away from the drugs, Norman." Chloe warned, knowing their effects.

"What?" Norman gave her an odd glance.

"Nothing, go have fun with Bradley." Chloe shrugged, and Norman followed her advice.

"Night Chloe." She just nodded, and with that, Norman scattered back to his room. Chloe threw her book onto her bed, and stared out the window, resting her head on her bare, smooth knees.

* * *

Chloe had probably stayed in that position for an hour, until she heard shattering glass, and Norma's scream.

"Norman!"

* * *

**And cut! Sort of another boring chapter, but hey, next one will be filled with excitement, I promise! Sorry about the late update, my teacher's have been piling on a ton of school work. If I don't update on time, just automatically blame it on my schoolwork. I plan on updating again by May 23, if not, shortly after that. I was happy with all the favorite and follows of the last chapter, kinda hoped for more reviews though. I really appreciate them, I love all your thoughts, and they get me to write faster! *Wink, wink* Thank's for reading, and until next time!**


	4. Take a Beating

Chloe sat straight up, pausing for a moment as she stared at the large oak door, wondering if she heard correctly. She climbed out of the window cautiously and walked closer to the door, slowly putting her ear against it.

"Norman!" Chloe heard the shrill scream again, causing Chloe to slightly jump.

Wasting no time, she yanked the door open with a bang. She booked it down the stairs, skipping steps as she went. She turned into the hall that led to the kitchen and skidded to a stop when she saw Norma holding knife up in a defensive stance, fear and horror etched into her face.

"Oh what the he-" Chloe started, but she stopped when she saw Keith standing in the corner, the expression his face held was one of lechery. "Keith what the fuck, dude." Chloe asked as she stared at the older man in confusion.

Keith scowled at the girl in front of him and started stalking toward her. Chloe started to back away, trying to get as much distance between herself and Keith, as fast as she could. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as she felt pure terror leak into her system. Norma took this opportunity to slink around behind him. As she raised the frying pan that she had grabbed from the drying rack, close enough to bash his head in, Keith turned, bringing with him a swift punch to Norma's stomach, knocking the wind right out of her.

Chloe watched in horror as he shoved Norma to the floor, and from the look of it, was about to straddle her. With quick thinking, she ran and jumped onto his back, and immediately started punching the foul man in the head and face. He groaned in pain, staggering back into a wall. Chloe ended up between the large man and the wall. She was losing air fast, but continued beating Keith.

"Urghh!" He groaned loudly, reaching behind him, swinging his pocket knife wildly. He managed to blindly slice Chloe's face, making her pause to hiss with pain. Keith chuckled as he swung his head back and bashed it against Chloe's, effectively knocking the small girl out.

"Stupid bitch." He muttered, stepping forward. He smiled when she fell to the floor with a small thud echoing in her wake. He stared at her, appraising all the damage he inflicted on the teen. Her nose was bleeding, and may or may not have been broken. His smile widened when he saw the damage he had made with the knife. The area above her brow was dripping blood, the cut surprisingly long, and probably deep, considering the amount of blood that seemed to be flowing from it. Keith gave her a kick to the stomach before turning his attention to Norma.

Norma was just getting up when Keith turned back to her. He watched her quivering hand that was still holding the knife, and just let out a full belly laugh.

"Now what do you think you're going to do with that?" Keith chuckled, stepping toward the newly distracted woman, whose horrified gaze was now settled on the knocked out, bloody teen that laid in a heap upon her kitchen floor.

"Norman!" Norma tried screaming again, the sad realization slowly sinking in that her beloved son wasn't there to help her out of this situation. Still she held her ground as best as she could, fighting even when Keith had her straddled, or when he had her handcuffed to the kitchen table. She struggled to keep her legs closed together from the pervert of a man, but she lost the hard fought battle, and Keith forced himself onto her as she cried.

But almost as soon as Keith was on her, he was off. Norman stood over the man, a raised door stop in hand. He stared at the scene before him, his eyes glazed over in a almost in a shell shocked sort of way. His heart was close to beating out of his chest as the full scene came to few. His mother now sat on the floor, handcuffed to the kitchen table, and he saw one of his newest friends and housemates crumpled on the floor, a bloody, pale mess. His mother's panicked voice snapped him out of his shock.

"Norman, I'm in handcuffs. Check him for the key." Norma sniffed, trying to rub away the tears that were staining her cheeks. Norman quickly patted down the knocked out man, and found the key's within seconds. He undid one cuff on his mother as fast as he could, and handed the keys over to his mother who got the other cuff off in record time. Once sure that Keith was secure in the handcuffs Norma was in seconds ago, the pair went to check on Chloe. They let out breaths of relief when they saw her chest rise and fall erratically.

"Mother, she's alive!" Norman exclaimed happily, relief flooding his system. Norma just nodded, watching the girl's labored breaths. She wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Set a sheet or something on the couch, then lay her out. We'll patch her up here, we can't afford the hospital." Norma sighed wiping her hands on her skirt. She was still jittery with nerves as she watched Norman exit the room. When she heard Chloe cough, Norma was immediately at her side.

"Chloe, can you hear me?" Norma questioned, pushing aside some hair that was covering the teen's eyes. Chloe's eyes were still shut, but an almost silent moan could be heard from the girl, and her eyelids were flickering. Norma was on full alert, especially when she heard a shuffling sound from Keith's direction.

"She deserved that, hell she deserved more, just like you deserved what you got. She just didn't enjoy it as much as you did." Keith croaked out in a pathetic sort of chuckle, enjoying the furious expression Norma's face held. The grin dropped from his face as Norma picked up the kitchen knife, and it was pure terrified when Norma charged full force into the man, stabbing him repeatedly.

* * *

Norman rushed into the kitchen, arms full of linens and pillows. All the contents that were settled in his arms dropped to the floor as he took in the scene before him.

"Mother…" He gaped, absolutely horrified. Norma spared him an exhausted glance, then turned back to the dead man beneath her. She got up and away from the man, still in a daze.

The sound of a shuffle and moan alerted the Bates that Chloe was waking up, and that she was in pain. Norma let out a sigh.

"Go grab all the bed linens from the motel and we'll wrap him up. We can store him in one of the bathtubs till I figure out what to do next." Norma nodded her head at the mess of a man. "I'll get Chloe settled." Norman was headed to do as he was told but paused.

"Mother, shouldn't we call the police? You killed him in self-defense. He was going to hurt you and Chloe even more. It was self-defense, right mother?" Norma gave him a glare.

"I refuse to be known as the rape/murder house Norman! Not right when we moved here, we came here for a fresh start, and that's what I'm getting. Now go get the sheets." Norma snarled, but Norman was still reluctant.

"What do we tell Chloe?" Norman nodded to the girl whose eyelids were now halfway open. Her eyes were slowly moving, probably unseeing.

"I don't know." Norma whispered, staring at the girl.

* * *

Chloe was now awake, and not as groggy as one might expect. She woke with surprise when she realized she wasn't in a bed, but rather on the couch of the Bates' living room. It was pitch black in the room, and Chloe didn't mind. She was trying to recall what had happened, and all she could pick up was Keith Summers face, and Norma holding a knife with a face that showed she was scared out of her mind.

"Norma?" Chloe called, her throat scratchy, a metallic taste on her tongue. Her head was pounding, and when she stood, everything got dizzy. "Norma?" She tried again, grasping onto anything her hands could reach.

When she made it to her desired destination, she stared on in shock, her headache practically doubling. Blood was spilt over the floor, though it looked as if someone had tried to clean it.

"Norma!" Chloe screamed in a panic, choking slightly on her words. She felt the hot tears begin to leak down her cheeks, not sure what to do. As she started to hyperventilate, she felt someone grab her. She screamed bloody murder as she tried to escape the grasp.

Norman held onto her, not sure what to do. He had heard her scream from the bathroom, and the panic that had twisted within his gut was unreal. He felt an unknown feeling start to rear it's head when he saw the tears fall down her ashen cheeks.

"Chloe, calm down, it's just me. It's Norman, Norman Bates." He spoke in a somewhat soothing voice, and Chloe slackened against him, sobs still escaping from her lips. Norman turned her so he could see her face. He felt anger start to swirl in his blood as he saw her battered face.

"Where, wher-" She hiccupped. "Where's your mom? Is she alright?" Norman only nodded, somewhat reluctant to give away information. Chloe hung her head in relief, but tensed up again. "Whose blood is that?" Chloe questioned, and Norman just gave her one of his intense stares, hoping she'd drop it. "Norman, whose blood is that?" She asked once more, and when he couldn't look her in the eyes, she pulled away from him.

Norman was at a loss. He didn't know what he could give away, and he missed her presence beside himself. Chloe stared at him, wincing here and there when her head started to hurt too much.

"Chloe, just wait for my mother, and everything will be fi-" Norman had stepped forward to but his hand back on Chloe's shoulder and she just shrugged him off, her face holding the expression of little girl who was just told 'no' for the first time. Norman huffed, but let the beans spill. Norman recounted what his mother had told him had happened, and Chloe nodded, confirming it all, at least up until she was knocked out. When she heard about Keith's rough demise, she felt sick. It was Keith's blood on the floor though, not Norma's, and that put some of the sickness at ease.

'I thought you were dead. When I saw you for the first time." Norman spoke in a whisper, his voice breaking halfway through, his eye's looking far off. Chloe frowned and slipped her hand into his. Norman accepted the gesture and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Take's more than a rotten man like that to kill me, Norman." Chloe gave him a smile. "Don't worry, your mom will help us out, she knows what she's doing." Chloe spoke, downing the three Tylenol that Norman had got for her as she spoke. Norman only let out a small half smile, one that didn't reach his eyes.

"I need to finish this up, then go help my mother. Keith's blood got onto the carpet, and so we are tearing it and all the others rooms with the same carpet up." Norman explained, getting back to work. "You should rest some more. I'll let my mother know." Chloe nodded in appreciation.

"Goodnight, Norman." Chloe spoke, ducking down and giving him an awkward sort of side hug. Norman only nodded as he scrubbed away at the blood.

* * *

Upstairs in her room, Chloe stripped her clothes from her body and grimaced at the unnatural blue and black hues that were already beginning to form over it. She touched the cut above her eyes, but hissed as she pulled back right away.

"Son of a _bitch." _She growled, letting it be. Somebody, Chloe assumed Norma, had already cleaned the cut up. It was deep, but didn't look deep enough for stitches. It would definitely leave a scar though. Her nose was black and blue, but didn't seem to be broken, which Chloe was grateful for. She was definitely a sight for sore eyes. She groaned at the thought.

Chloe had no energy for this; no energy for anything, actually. She hopped into bed, and could only hope that Norma would have a plan for the rest of the situation. Closing her eyes, she fell into a deep, but nightmare filled sleep.

* * *

**Hey guys, got this one out on time; two day's before hand, actually. I know, it even shocked me! I gotta admit, I was super excited with all the reviews I got for last chapter, they definitely got me writing faster, so thanks to all that reviewed! One of the recurring things, I noticed in the reviews, is Dylan. Don't worry guys, he'll get into the story soon enough! And as of yet **_**omguhavebrowneyes**_**, Chloe's romantic partner is undetermined, but I also think she'd look swell with Dylan ;) Oh! I also started second season of Bates Motel; I had one hell of a time finding it! Here's hoping it's good, and until next time guys:)**


	5. Issues

Chloe woke with a start from her third nightmare of the night, she was breathing heavily, and a cold sweat was spread across her body. She was restless, last night's events still tumbling around wildly in her head. She glanced out the window, expecting the harsh darkness of night, but saw that it was sunny out, and was probably close to noon. She pulled the covers off her body and jumped out of bed, wincing at the small, but sharp slivers of pain she felt all over her body.

She stepped into the hallway, being as quiet as she could, not knowing for sure what time it actually was. She went to the bathroom before she headed downstairs to the kitchen. The blood was that resided there only hours ago was completely gone, much to Chloe's surprise. Norman had done a good job, and that thought alone made her already tight stomach tighten even more. Chloe let out a strained breath and got a drink of water. You couldn't even tell something happened here last night, and the thought shocked Chloe.

The sound of the door opening alerted Chloe of someone's presence and she set her water down. She stood cautiously, looking for anything she could use as a weapon, just in case.

"Well, look who's finally awake." Norma gave her a wry smile as she shuffled through the door. Chloe returned it halfheartedly. "You took quite the beating last night, I figured you should stay home today, so we didn't wake you. Norman's at school. Would you like something to eat?" Chloe felt like vomiting at the thought of food and quickly shook her head. Norma just nodded, obviously expecting the answer. She turned and busied herself with something at the counter and Chloe just gaped the woman who appeared to be just as calm and collected as the previous afternoon.

"How are you acting as if, as if it didn't happen? He beat both of us, he raped you, for god sake." Chloe stated shrilly. "You killed him, but you act like it didn't happen! How are you doing it?" Chloe demanded in a shaking voice. Norma just walked toward Chloe and cautiously wrapped her arms around the shorter female, hushing her. Chloe somewhat resisted the hug, but once she knew she couldn't get out of it, she relaxed some.

"I know it's hard, but getting upset about it is only going to make it worse. I have everything planned out, it's fine. We're safe, Chloe." Norma murmured patting Chloe's head, stroking her hair knotted hair a few times before letting the girl go. "I'm going to head into town to get some groceries and a few other things. Would you like to come with me?" Chloe shook her head politely, her thought's reeling.

"No thanks, I think I'd just like to shower and rest a bit more. Thanks though." Chloe felt the exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. Her fitful sleep hadn't helped in the least. Norma nodded and patted Chloe on the arm.

"Towels are in the closet next to the bathroom. I'll let you be until dinner. See you when I get back." Norma grabbed her keys and just like that she was out the door. Chloe let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Norma was a killer, how could Chloe accept a hug from a killer? She did it to protect herself, and you for that matter. You'd be dead if not for her. Chloe groaned at her thoughts, rubbing her temples. She started shuffling back upstairs to the bathroom.

* * *

After a long soak in the tub, her mind had relaxed some. Before submerging herself in the warm water, she scanned her battered body in grief. Black and blue bruises covered her frame, ranging from large bruises on her rib cage and stomach, or small, scattered ones on her arms. A large bruise covered her back from where Keith had smashed her against the wall. The cut above her was crusted over with blood. Chloe rubbed some alcohol on it before bandaging it again. She was definitely not a pretty sight.

After her bath, she was in her room. She spent half an hour just milling about, rearranging books and trinkets. She climbed into bed shortly after, absolutely tired. She was in a pair of shorts and a tank top, and as she was starting to get a bit chilly, she her blankets up to her chin to keep her arm. She laid like that for a long while, even when she heard noises coming from below. Probably Norma making dinner. She was utterly confused when she heard a knock on her door. It was short and polite.

"Chloe, my mother told me to tell you that dinner is ready." Norman told her from behind the door, hoping she'd come and join them. He'd wanted to talk to her since last night, but time hadn't permitted it.

"I don't- I mean, I'm not very hungry right now. I ate a late lunch." Chloe lied through her teeth and Norman could hear it in her voice. He frowned. Chloe didn't want to lie, but she sort of didn't want to face the Bates, or eat. Her stomach was in one huge, immense knot that twisted tighter and tighter with every thought she had about what happened last night.

"That's a lie, Chloe. Do you feel alright? I felt sick during lunch." Norman confessed in a concerned manner. Chloe huffed. She whipped the covers away from her as she got out of bed and slammed the door open, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

Norman stared at her in shock, her angry expression making him shy away. He kept staring though, taking in all the damage that Keith had inflicted upon her. His shying attitude quickly faded, and concern grew deep within himself. _She shouldn't be hurt like this_, he thought to himself, venom leaking into his thoughts, _she's too young, too fragile. Keith's death was well deserved_. In fact, Norman wished he had completed the act. _Chloe couldn't protect herself like mother could. I'll kill anything that tries to hurt her._

Chloe paled as she saw Norman start to visibly seethe, all words she'd been planning to say slowly slipping from her mind. She reached out and patted him on the arm, trying to somewhat bringing him back from whatever state he was in. He still looked troubled when Chloe looked into his eyes, but it was slowly fading.

"..Norman?.." Norman's eyes snapped back to Chloe, and he smiled a large, toothy grin.

"Does this mean you'll be coming to dinner?" He asked, stepping aside out of the doorway. Chloe was somewhat put off by Norman's odd personality change but shook it off and shrugged her shoulders.

"Might as well." Chloe figured she'd see what the Bates were up to this evening. She was shamefully curious as to what they did with Keith's body.

* * *

Dinner smelt wonderful, it was pasta with some homemade sauce. Chloe ate only little of it, her stomach still offset. Norma asked if her rest was well, Chloe had nodded, though she hadn't slept, and asked how the town had been. Norma's eye's shone with an emotion that Chloe couldn't identify, but let on that it had been fine. Dinner's conversation had continued on in the small talk manner, but Chloe didn't mind. She hadn't had much to contribute anyway.

"Norman and I will be getting rid of Keith's body tonight." Norma said casually as the females cleaned up the dishes while Norman went to the restroom.

"Where?" Chloe mumbled, drying a plate. Her heart was racing, but Chloe just prayed it wasn't obvious.

"Near the docks, I suppose. Further out, of course, but near." Norma, spoke quickly and quietly. Chloe only nodded, the knot's returning to her stomach.

* * *

The Bates had left nearly an hour ago, and Chloe sat anxiously in her window, smoking her third cigarette since the beginning of that hour. The rain had her feeling more anxious than she probably should've felt. Her heart was pounding and her forehead was damp with sweat. She prayed that the two didn't get caught, but deduced it'd probably take more than an hour to get rid of the large man. Chloe had wanted to go with them, but Norman insisted that she shouldn't. After much reluctance, Norma agreed and told Chloe to stay back and watch the house. Chloe could only agree, not wanting to start a fight. Norma told her to keep an eye out for the police, then left with Norman. The fact that the Bates already had a run in with the town's police had Chloe's nerves on high alert, and every car that passed the motel was seen as a threat.

It was around 12:30 in the morning when she heard the front door open. Chloe had yet another cigarette in between her fingers that she quickly stubbed out. She stumbled to the stairway in a sleepy daze, her legs asleep and cramped from sitting in the window sill the whole time.

"Norma? Norman?" Chloe called as the door clicked open. The Bates appeared at in the doorway, and Chloe smiled in relief. "So it's over?" Chloe laughed a bit to herself when Norma nodded, a large grin plastered on her face. Chloe bounced over to Norman. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug that Norman returned happily. He buried his face into her hair, adoring the sweet scent of vanilla and lavender. He inhaled more than once, Chloe not noticing anything but an extremely long hug, which happened to of been one thing she majorly needed. _No_, Norman thought to himself, _nobody would ever hurt her again_.

* * *

The weekend finally arrived, and it was a day spent cleaning and relaxing. Chloe caught up on some homework she'd missed and Norman spent the day cooped up in his room. Norma started on as the motel sign was replaced, and called for the teens when it was finished.

"Isn't it wonderful? I made it blue just for you Norman…" Chloe tuned her out, happy just to see the end of Keith's families reign. _Here's hoping Bates' Motel would last_, Chloe thought to herself. She went back to her room to retire for the night, actually happy that she'd be going back to school the next day.

* * *

**So, Chloe may live with the Bates, but she is still able to manage to keep her independence pretty well, I suppose. Norman's being Norman, and Norma is just as suave as ever. Updated a couple day's early this time, I was oddly inspired when I say that this story's 1 month passed. Again guy's your reviews, favorites, and follows mean the world to me, and reviews get me writing way faster. Until next time! P.s Are y'all ready for Dylan's first appearance next chapter ? ;)**


	6. New Arrival

Chloe happened to of woken early in the morning, wanting to make sure she had time to make herself look decent. She was rubbing on the final touch, lip gloss, when she heard loud knocks on the front door. Her previously settled stomach started to twist in anxiety. Still, she capped the gloss and threw it in the bag before going to answer the door. The knocking had gotten progressively louder with every passing second and Chloe s anxiety started to fade, only to be replaced by annoyance.

She heaved the door open, about to give the knocker a piece of her mind, but stopped and stumbled over her words upon viewing him. He was older than her, only a few years. He towered over her, was slightly built, had beautiful baby blue eyes that were squinting at her, and short, dirty blond hair. Chloe quickly snapped out of her daze, feeling the annoyance return. She hoped that this asshole hadn't woken Norma. She was surprised that Norman wasn't around, considering school started in about an hour and a half.

"Can I help you? The motel is closed for another few weeks. You can talk to the owner, but she won't be round for a while. You do realize what time it is, don't you?" Chloe was sort of bitching at him, but she didn't care. The dick deserved it, in her opinion. It was 6:30 in the morning, for god sake.

Dylan stared at the blond girl in shock. He'd expected Norma to answer, his head full of insults, but instead he had this short, mouthy, blond girl, who was _definitely not _Norma, spouting off steam.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He waved her off, scowling. "Look, is Norma here? I need to speak with her." Dylan wasn't in the mood to deal with this girls annoying ways. Her wide green eyes bore holes into his own blue ones, and he stepped back some cautiously.

"What do you want with Norma?" Chloe stood her ground and made sure to take precaution. This guy literally could've been anyone. Dylan exhaled loudly, staring at the nuisance of a girl..

"Look, just go get her for me." Dylan urged, not wanting to go into detail about who he was. He was coming to realize how stubborn she was. Chloe scanned him over once more and turned up her nose.

"No." Chloe spoke firmly and tried to close the door as fast as she could, but Dylan jammed his foot to stop it.

"Fine, fine." He relented "My name's Dylan, Dylan Massett. I'm Norma's son." Chloe opened the door slightly and peeked at his face. His blue eyes held a similar look to Norma's, and Chloe found herself believing him. She pulled the door open a little further.

"How do I know that's the truth?" Chloe asked in a sing-song way, and Dylan gaped at her before rubbing his face.

"I don't know, just trust me, or go get Norma. Your pick, I don't care." Dylan spoke, exasperated. Chloe gave him one last look and swung the door open fully.

"Don't try anything. Norman is just a scream away, and I happen to be a pretty good fighter." She was lying through her teeth and Dylan knew it. He could take Norman on any day, and this small girl had little to no muscle mass, as far as he could tell. He started to chuckle, but as soon as he received a glare from her, he tried to disguise it as a cough.

"So," Dylan trailed off expectantly, waiting for her to introduce herself. She gave him a look that screamed distaste.

"Chloe. Chloe Everett." Chloe spoke her last name with bitterness that Dylan didn't seem to catch. She held her hand out as a peace offering and Dylan took it gingerly.

"So, what are you doing here, Chloe?" Dylan asked. He was mildly curious, but also wanted to start a conversation.

"I live here. I'm also going to help with the motel when I'm not in school." Chloe spoke, as if it were nothing. Dylan stared at her in shock.

"You're willingly staying with Norma?" He gasped, putting a hand against his chest for dramatic effect.

"Uh, yes?" Chloe was confused. Norma was a nice woman who was helping Chloe in way's many wouldn't. "Why?" Dylan only smirked and shook his head.

"You'll see, eventually." Dylan shrugged and stepped into the house, pushing past Chloe.

"Excuse you!" Chloe called, rushing to catch up as he walked straight into the kitchen. "I didn't say you could come in. Is Norma even expecting you?" She stared him in the eye as he plopped down into a seat at the kitchen table.

"One, I'm not a vampire, I don't need an invitation to enter somewhere. Two, no. Norma would never expect me." He gave a harsh laugh as he looked around the large open room. He could feel his body heating up in anger. _How could Norma even afford this place? _Chloe gazed at him curiously, but he didn't look back.

Chloe glanced at the clock, deciding it was more than reasonable to wake Norma up now.

"Would you like me to get her?" Chloe asked, already backing out of the room. Dylan looked to Chloe and nodded.

"Okay." She left it at that. Dylan watched her jog back to the stairs. He definitely appreciated the view. Chloe was short, but she had nice curves, along with other nice _assets_. Her long blond hair bounced as she jogged, and her freshly done makeup made her look older than she really was. He noticed the cut above her eye, even with all the obvious effort to cover it with was curious.

Dylan's thinking was cut off by a voice as sharp as a snapped back to reality and turned his gaze to his mother who stared at him with malice in her eyes.

"What are you doing here, Dylan?" Norma snapped, staring at her oldest son who was sat before her, a casual smirk playing on his lips.

"Hi mom." Dylan said simply, nodding.

* * *

Chloe dressed quickly, wanting to get downstairs to help Norma with breakfast. Norma now had to cook for four people, since Dylan was now apparently moving in, so she figured she'd help out however she could. She shimmed into a flowery skirt and pulled on a white crop top. When she approved of the outfit, she slipped on a pair of matching peep toe heels and left the room in a rush. She shut the door, and when she turned back around, she ran right into Dylan's solid tried stepping away, but her heel decided it was a good time to partially slip off her foot. She felt herself falling and gave a small yelp. Right before the expected impact, she felt two strong arms circle around her waist.

"Might want to be careful. You wouldn't want to hurt that pretty face of yours." Dylan murmured huskily, pulling her up as if she was light as a feather. He steadied her, making sure she could stand. Chloe's face was scarlet red when she looked at Dylan. He only smiled brightly at her.

"Yeah, thank you." She mumbled, glaring down at her heels. A door was heard opening and Dylan quickly dropped his arms, letting her go. The two turned toward the noise and watched as Norman appeared, looking concerned. He glanced confused at his brother and friend, who were standing too close together for his comfort.

"Are you alright, Chloe? I heard you yell." Chloe nodded, her blush coming back full force. "What are you doing back?" Norman asked, directing his question toward Dylan. Dylan just shook his head and chuckled before walking back into his room.

Chloe stared after him, wondering why he didn't answer Norman's question. Norman stared at Chloe, wondering why she'd be staring after his brother. He cleared his throat, attempting to get her attention.

"So you met Dylan." Norman stated, walking closer to Chloe. She only nodded, still looking after Dylan. "You're sure you're alright?" Chloe nodded, looking down sheepishly. "Breakfast?" He asked curious and confused about her sudden shyness. Chloe nodded yet again, finally looking at Norman. She followed him down the stairs to the kitchen.

* * *

Chloe sat at the table, munching on her fourth strip of bacon. She pushed the eggs around on her plate, more focused on that than the conversation that was going on behind her. She was listening to the sizzle of the stove as Norma made her own breakfast. Norman was making himself toast, and as far as Chloe knew, Dylan was still in his room. Wrong. He was now trampling down the stairs. Norma let out an annoyed sigh.

"Morning Chloe." Dylan gave her a nod and a wink, causing Chloe to blush and look away. It made Dylan chuckle. He grabbed the bread from Norman. "Your toast is done."

"I know." Norman sneered, grabbing his toast and burning himself in the process. Chloe only assumed that this was some type of sibling rivalry.

"I assume you don't want breakfast?" Norma asked bitterly, barely glancing at her oldest son. Dylan shook his head, pouring himself some coffee.

"Thanks, no." Norma sighed, staring at him. She scooped the remaining food from the skillet onto her plate before turning to him.

"Dylan, I want a straight answer this time. What are you doing here?" Norma demanded. Dylan had blown the question off when she had asked earlier, he gave her the low down of how he needed a room, and let it stay at that. Dylan glared at her while he poured himself some coffee.

"Because, that's what people do, Norma, when they have no money, lose their job, and got no place to stay. They go home." Chloe felt her chest tighten, realizing how similar Dylan and her own situation sounded, only difference being that Chloe never had a job, and she didn't go home. " Although, most mothers don't try to move out of state and hide it from their own son." Dylan paused, looking like he wanted to say more, but settled for "We're out of cream." He set the container down and walked out of the kitchen, nodding at the shocked Chloe before he left. _What kind of mother would do that? Certainly not Norma... _

Chloe snapped out of her thoughts when Norman set his plate down next to her. He heaved a giant sigh as he picked up the bread bag, acting as if it were the worst thing in the world.

"The bread will get stale." He explained, seeing Chloe's curious look. Chloe nodded, not questioning his overreaction, and Norman tied the bread up once again that morning.

* * *

Chloe vouched that she didn't have a first period upon seeing Bradley and her friends down at the bus stop. Norma would never know the difference, and Chloe didn't want to walk out the door and have to explain herself to Bradley. She could hear the main question now. "_Did you guys hook up?_" She was currently residing in her room, reading a book. She heard a knock on the door and her brow furrowed.

"Come in." She called, and the door began to open, revealing Dylan. He stood in the doorway, staring around her room before focusing on Chloe.

"Don't you have school?" He asked. He watched Norman leave only minutes beforehand without Chloe and grew curious.

"No first hour." Chloe spoke, not looking up from her book. She was reading the same sentence she had been 10 minutes ago, not really feeling the book. Dylan scoffed, able to hear the lie clear as day. _She has got to be one of the worst liars I've ever met, _Dylan thought to himself.

"Did Norma actually fall for that?" That got Chloe's attention. She looked up from her book, and stared at him with raised eyebrows. "Gotcha. Why are you skipping?" He asked, walking further into the room, taking in all photos and posters.

"Different reasons, mostly just didn't want to go to first hour." Chloe left it at that, going back to her book. Dylan could pick up a bit of hesitation in her words, but just chuckled as he looked over the books in the bookcase. _She kind of reminds me of myself, except the staying at home part.  
_

"So you're not skipping the whole day? How do you plan to get to school?" The school was at least a mile from the house, and he couldn't imagine someone walking that just to go to school.

"Uh, walking?" She sassed, looking at him as if it were obvious.

"Well, would you like a ride? Free of charge." Dylan taunted deviously, as if daring her, causing a smirk to form on Chloe's lips.

"Depends on what you drive, hotshot." Chloe closed her book and tossed it aside. She got up and adjusted her skirt before walking closer to him. He gazed into her eyes as he answered.

"Mm, it'll do. I guess it _is_ a_ bit _better than walking." Chloe taunted and Dylan faked a mortified look.

"A _bit? _Chloe, you're breaking my heart here." He pretended to wipe a tear away, and Chloe could only burst into a fit of giggles that Dylan quickly joined in on.

"Okay, okay, its way better than walking. I've never ridden on a motorcycle before." Excitement was clear as day painted on Chloe's face, and it made Dylan happy.

"Well, alright then, let's get going. You can show me around town before I drop you off." Dylan gave a wink and Chloe could feel her face start to heat up again. She nodded and the two left the room.

* * *

What was supposed to be a fun morning turned into a nightmare. As soon as Dylan and Chloe had exited the house, their eyes were meet with a horrible car accident with several teen's surrounding it. Sirens could be heard, getting louder and louder with each passing second. Chloe booked it down the stairs, trying to get their as fast as she could.

"Chloe, wait!" Dylan called following suit. He didn't want her to fall like she had this morning, but Chloe didn't stop, even when she stumbled. She was too focused on the loud sobs she could hear coming from this crash site.

"..Chloe?" She heard Norman voice, but barged past him to see into the open car door. Upon seeing the site, she felt her stomach twist in shock. It was Bradley's dad, and Bradley sobbing. Chloe back away, her heart clenching as she turned to Bradley's shaking form. She slipped her arms around her friend as she cried. Chloe just stared at Bradley's dying dad, loud siren's blaring only feet away.

"Jesus fucking Christ." Dylan muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

* * *

**Dylan's here! What do you think, was he in character? It's one of my biggest fears as a fan fiction writer to write an OOC character. By the way guy's, thanks for all the reviews, it made me smile at how much you guy's were anticipating Dylan's arrival! Remember, reviews get me more motivated, and t's nice to know what y'all think, so make sure you review! Next planned update is 6/11, but I have finals this week and next Monday, so I'm not sure. I'll update as fast as I can! Until next time!:)**


	7. Coffee Break

Chloe stuck around, even after Norman had left. Bradley's friend's left mere minutes later. She watched as Bradley got into the ambulance, watched as it took off. It was a sad sight, and Chloe could only feel a giant amount of sympathy for Bradley. She heaved a sick sort of sigh, watching them pull Mr. Martin's car out of the ditch.

"You alright?" Dylan asked, coming to stand beside her. He watched her facial expressions carefully, reading them like a book.

"Yeah, I think so." Chloe spoke honestly. It was sad, but that was the danger you put yourself in when you took a job like Jerry Martins. A job Chloe planned to take. Her stomach twisted.

"So, you still want to go to school today?" Dylan asked as he lit up a cigarette and took a long drag. Chloe nodded, not really wanting to go, but she knew she had too. Glancing around, she saw Norma talking with Sheriff Romero. He was a pain in the ass, in Chloe's opinion, but also a damn good cop.

"Yeah, I should probably get going.." She drawled, looking back to Dylan. Dylan scoffed, smiling.

"Still want a ride on my "alright" bike?" He taunted, getting a tinkling laugh out of Chloe.

"Yes, yes, Dylan. I want a ride on your "alright bike. I'm gonna grab my bag." Chloe was already semi- jogging up the stairs. Dylan smiled after her, throwing his burnt out cigarette on the ground and stomping it out.

"What do you think you're doing, Dylan?" Norma scowled at her son, and he just stared at her.

"_Me_, Norma? What are _you_ doing?" Dylan snarked back. Norma just glared at him.

"Stop calling me Norma." She paused, taking a breath to collect her thoughts. "Look, I won't invade on your life, Dylan, but you leave that girl out of it." Dylan scoffed, giving his mother an evasive look. Norma stood her ground, giving him a hard look. "And another thing, if you're gonna stick around, you're going to pitch in. I need you to pick up the new linens I ordered. I'll grab you the keys."

"Later. I'm giving Chloe a ride to school." Norma looked at him with malice.

"What did I _just_ say, Dylan?" She hissed, causing Dylan to smirk.

"I promised her before you made your rules, Norma. I'm taking her." Dylan turned, going to get on his bike, but paused, turning back to Norma. "And another thing_, mom_," He spat, "I sure as hell won't be following your little rules." Norma stared at him, aghast by his words.

"Dylan, I swear-" Sheriff Romero cut her off mid-sentence.

"Ms. Bates, would you please follow me." He drawled, waving her over as he turned away. He immediately began walking away. Norma knew it was more of a demand than a request. She gave a low groan.

"_Don't_ forget the linens, Dylan, and I _won't_ remind you about this again." Norma scowled, pausing for a second. "Have a good day at school, Chloe." Norma smiled gently at the girl who had made it back to the scene.

"I will, thanks Norma!" Chloe called after her. She turned to Dylan, a devious smile on her face. "Ready to go?"

* * *

Chloe's hair whipped against her face, even with it tucked in between Dylan's shoulders. He was going 60, and Chloe felt queasy. She held her skirt down, still happy she had put a pair of shorts on underneath when she went to grab her bag.

"How's it feel?" Dylan all but shouted back to her. Her face was still in between Dylan's shoulders so her reply was muffled. Dylan just nodded in understanding, hoping she was having a good time.

She was. She loved the freeness of it, not having to be confined inside of car was great. Besides that fact, being so close to Dylan was nice too. He was warm, and she could feel the muscles that were hidden under his jacket.

"Got time for a coffee break?" Dylan shouted back, not wanting to drop her off just yet. He'd have to go back to the house and deal with Norma, which happened to be on the bottom of his list of things he wanted to do, plus he'd like to get to know Chloe better. She seemed, in one word, interesting. He felt Chloe nod against his back and he smiled, taking a sharp turn onto the street beside them.

* * *

After ordering, they grabbed a seat in the back of the cafe, Chloe giving the excuse she didn't want to be seen.

"First ride on the motorcycle. How'd you like it?" Dylan broke the ice, watching her stir in 3 sugars and two crèmes into her coffee. He stared at the coffee in disgust.

"I loved it, oh my-" She stopped herself, seeing Dylan's expression. She suddenly became self-conscious and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What?"

"That," He scoffed, pointing at Chloe's drink, "is just sugar water."

"It's still coffee. Just sweeter." Chloe protested, bringing the warm mug to her lips, letting it rest there for a second before taking a short sip.

Dylan shook his head, baffled. His coffee consisted of one cream, and half a packet of sugar, a mixture that would bring the same look of disgust to Chloe's face had she known.

"Starbucks is right down the street, Sweets." He taunted, a playful smirk entering his features. Chloe's nose scrunched up and she sniffed.

"I'm perfectly happy with the coffee here."

"Sugar water." Dylan uttered, tapping his fingers on the table. Chloe just relented when she realized that she wouldn't win. She glanced at her phone's time and choked on her drink. It was almost lunch time, and she knew Norman would be looking for her.

"What's wrong?" Dylan asked, concerned. He tried to look at her phone, but Chloe tucked it back into her bag quickly.

"It's almost lunch hour at school." Dylan stared at her, his eye's question why that would be such a big deal. Chloe sighed, raking a hand through her long hair. "Your brother will be looking for me." She explained, trying and failing to down all her coffee at once. Her tongue was instantly burned, but she forced herself to swallow it down. Dylan watched her, chuckling, and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Look, Norman can deal with not having lunch with you for one day. Have lunch with me instead." He persuaded, giving her a smile that would charm the pants off even the most reluctant women. Chloe sighed, but agreed, figuring if she got to school before her last period- Language Arts with Norman- she would be fine.

* * *

Lunch with Dylan had been, to sum it up, amazing, in Chloe's eyes. They had talked about random things, like hobbies, interests, ages, and more. Dylan was overjoyed when he found out Chloe was eighteen. Chloe enjoyed learning about Dylan, even if it was simple facts, like when he got his motorcycle, his favorite color, and so on. It was simple. Chloe liked simple, liked not having to think about what had happened within the last week.

The subject both stayed far from bringing up still sat untouched, though both were curious. Family. Chloe had to bite her tongue several time, wanting to ask about all the tension she could feel at the house. Dylan had stuttered several times when he realized he was about to ask why in the world she would be living with Norma and Norman of all people.

Besides the talking, Chloe had dared Dylan to practically drink tabasco, which Dylan being a total man, took the dare with no problem. He ended up reduced to a sputtering mess, practically drowning on the water he was trying to get down all at once to soothe the burn. Chloe was in tears because she was laughing at him so hard. They had gotten glares from other patrons of the cafe, but paid no mind.

The food had been amazing, and surprisingly cheap. When the waitress brought the bill, Dylan immediately paid, not giving Chloe the chance. She glared at him in mock anger, giving a half-hearted protest.

"I could have paid for my own!" She gave him a playful shove in the arm, and he looked at her, a dramatic look of hurt etched on his face.

"Chloe, you wound me so!" He put his hand on his heart. Chloe giggled while she strapped her helmet on, watching Dylan swing his leg across the motorcycle.

"I _suppose_ I'm sorry." Chloe drawled on, exasperated. Dylan only gave a laugh, nodding for her to get on. She did and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Get me there fast as you can, Dylan!"

* * *

Chloe plopped down in her seat 5 minutes after the bell had rung. Ms. Watson glaring at her as Chloe's heels clicked off the linoleum.

"Glad you could _join_ us, Miss. Everett." A few student's chuckled halfheartedly, and Chloe just threw Ms. Watson a plastic smile.

"Glad to be here, Ms. Watson." Chloe's response caused more kid's to laugh and Ms. Watson quickly called them to attention as she started the lesson. Chloe just tuned out, thinking about her morning with Dylan.

Norman waited as patiently as he could, waiting for her to acknowledge him. She didn't. He felt a wave of irritation sweep through him as he tapped on her shoulder, hard. She winced, turning to face him slightly.

"What?" She whisper-yelled at him, rubbing her now sore shoulder. Norman grimaced in regret, not wanting to of hurt her.

"Sorry. Where were you today?" Short, sweet, and to the point.

"I came later, and I was studying for a test during lunch, sorry I didn't tell you." Chloe mumbled, turning to face the bored, praying Norman couldn't hear the blatant lie in her voice. Norman ate it right up.

"Oh, what subject? I can help-" Chloe interrupted him and he stared at her dejectedly.

"Its fine, Norman." Her voice was tight, and her usually pouty lips sat in a dull frown. She didn't like lying to her friends, unless it helped them in some way. Norman was hurt, but let it go momentarily.

The class flew by, Chloe willing the clock to go faster. Norman sat back in his seat, going over what he could have done to make Chloe upset with him. He thought about this morning bitterly, thinking Dylan probably had something to do with it. He came back to attention when he realized class was almost over. Ms. Watson as ending class with some big assignment, and Norman instantly chose Chloe as is partner. He tapped her and she barely responded. Again, Norman felt hurt.

The bell rang and Chloe stood up, gathering her things. She sighed, glancing at Norman, then back to her things.

"Yes, Norman. I'll be your partner, and I'm sorry, it's just after this morning, y'know?" Norman felt ecstatic that it wasn't him who had upset her, he nodded.

"Hey!" Emma Decody butted in, and Chloe felt irritation set in. Emma had been a thorn in Chloe's side since Emma had moved here a few years back. "You have a partner yet?" She asked Norman, completely ignoring Chloe.

"Actually, yea-" Emma cut him off, looking at Chloe.

"Are you working with Jeremy again, _Clo_?" Chloe cringed hearing her nickname fall from Emma's lips.

"I was going to be with Norm-" Emma cut Chloe off. Rude.

"Oh well, I _already_ asked." Emma spoke sweetly. Chloe's blood started to boil and Norman sat there, utterly confused.

"Alright_, Emmy_.' Chloe voiced the name with venom dripping from it. "Norman, I'll meet you at my locker after school, okay?" Chloe would text him the number later, after she got away from Emma. Norman watched, upset. He nodded, and Chloe left the room. Emma was droning off about something Norman had no interest in.

* * *

Chloe got the Jeremy situation figured out. Jeremy was always happy to help Chloe out, and by help out, it means doing all the work. She waited at her locker, flipping through a book as she waited for Norman. He showed up eventually, in a daze.

"I didn't know you knew Emma." Chloe started, and Norman nodded. "Hey, I wanted to stop by the hospital to check on Bradley, that's why I waited. Wanna come with me?" Chloe asked, slamming her locker shut and facing Norman.

"Yeah, that sounds nice." Norman was now the one being short with his answers, and Chloe grew concerned.

"Hey, I'm sorry about how bitchy I was in there. Won't happen again. Scout's honor." She gave a mock salute, causing Norman to crack a grin. Chloe smiled in return and threw her arms around him, giving him a soft hug. Norman quickly put his arms around her, squeezing her tightly.

"Ah," Chloe blushed, pulling away from him after a few seconds. "We should head to the hospital, if you're ready." Norman cleared his throat and nodded.

"After you."

* * *

**Well, late as can be, but here it is! As I have said in previous chapters, school was the cause of the delay, but good news, I passed all my finals! Possible faster updates ahead! What'd y'all think about this chapter? How were the characters? In character? Let me know in a review, I'd really appreciate it! Until next time:)**


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